2003 Kia Sorento Lx. Very Low Miles on 2040-cars

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Kia leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2022

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148. It's common for so-called "mass market" brands to lead this particular study, according to J.D. Power, as "premium" brands "typically incorporate more technology in their vehicles, which increases the likelihood for problems to occur" and aren't necessarily built to a higher standard that less-expensive brands. The highest-rated single nameplate is the Porsche 911. It's the third time out of the past four years and the second year in a row that Porsche's quintessential sports car has taken top honors. Porsche as a brand sits in seventh place (162) just behind Lexus (159) and ahead of Dodge (166). At the very bottom of the list is Land Rover with a dismal score of 284; the SUV specialist held the same unfortunate distinction on last year's list. Ram (266), Volvo (256), Alfa Romeo (245) and Acura (244) also performed poorly. The overall industry average score sits at 192 — mass market brands average a score of 190 while premium brands sit 14 points lower at 204. While Tesla is unofficially included in some of J.D. Power's results, the agency says the sample size it has access to for this study is too small to include. As has been the case for the past several years, infotainment systems dominate the list of problems reported by owners. Popular (or unpopular, depending on your point of view) complaints include built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100), built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100), not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100), navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100), touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100), and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100). While problems with the car's infotainment and technology packages are indeed bothersome, it's important to remember that such issues aren't usually leaving owners stranded with an immovable vehicle like a broken transmission or blown engine would. Culling infotainment complaints from the results would reduce the average problem-per-100-vehicle score by a staggering 51.9 points. The vehicles included in this study are from the 2019 model year. That means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's the 33rd year that J.D.

Car dealership gives man a new car after his is tagged with racist graffiti

Update: The Facebook post from the passerby mentioned is no longer available, and has been removed from the text. A man in Arkansas who found his pride and joy broken into and covered in racist graffiti has a new set of wheels, thanks to one generous car dealership. Reshod Johnson left his car parked outside of his place of work for just 15 minutes last week while he retrieved chairs for his son's third birthday party. When he returned, he found his belongings scattered across the street and racist terms spray painted on his car. "I just don't understand it. I don't do anything to hurt anybody," Johnson told THV11. "I don't go out looking for trouble." A friend spotted two white men fleeing the scene in a red truck. He made a police report, but as a full time student and former veteran with Christmas around the corner and a three-year-old at home, money is tight. Johnson made the painful decision to continue to drive his 2006 Nissan with the hateful messages intact, though he was keeping his young son away from it. "We're supposed to have advanced past this and to serve the country and to serve for everyone and to fight for rights and freedom for everyone and for this to happen, it's like a slap in the face and makes you wonder for what," Johnson told THV. When a passerby saw the damage, she became emotional and posted about the incident on Facebook. According to 9news.com, the post drew a ton of help and attention to Johnson's story. Steve Landers Kia saw Johnson's story and decided to help. They donated a new ride to Johnson just in time for Christmas. They said it was the least they could do for a veteran who experienced horrific random hate. "Times are hard out here and he's a veteran," an employee for Steve Landers Kia told 9News.com. "We're just trying to help the community out."Related Video: Weird Car News Kia Maintenance Ownership Safety vandalism veterans graffiti racism

Kia GT4 Stinger gets top-down teaser

Kia has issued another teaser for its hotly anticipated GT4 Stinger Concept, which is set to debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show early next week. Our third teaser for the new car is from above, showing a squat, compact sports car form that makes us rather hopeful for the upcoming debut.
All signs point to the GT4 being a looker, with noticeable vents in the hood, a small back window and rather meaty C-pillars and rear haunches. When Kia calls this "sculpted" in the press release, we're certainly inclined to agree.
As we told you when revealing the GT4's last teaser, a 2.0-liter turbo will be responsible for motivating the rear-drive 2+2. If it held on to the concept's 315 horsepower, a production version of the Stinger Concept would certainly seem like it could have the potential to keep pace with the new EcoBoost-powered Ford Mustang, as well as the Genesis Coupe, from Kia's favorite corporate frenemy, Hyundai.